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Wednesday, 3 November 2010

God Using Cancer for Good?

My mother in law has just survived lifesaving major surgery. My husband, daughter, and myself were on the shuttle to the hospital today and I heard the most jaw dropping bit of arrogance in a long time. At the front of the bus, one of the medical center's workers was talking to the bus driver. The man seemed to be a very in your face religious type.

The man's wife had divorced him some time back, but he was still wanting to get back together with her. He told the bus driver that she was diagnosed with cancer. And that "God was working in a mysterious and good way to bring his ex-wife back into his life because she needed his help." I kid you not, he actually said this.

I thought this was the most revolting and self centered thing I have heard in a long time. His ex wife may be dying from cancer and all he could think of was how he was feeling. How is getting a serious form of cancer good? What about what his ex-wife is going through? He seemed to not have any awareness of her as an individual apart from himself? What happens should she not survive? Is that too a "good" message from god?

If he was like this in the past, no wonder she divorced him. He also speculated out loud to the bus driver that his ex-wife was "angry at God." What an arrogant ass.

7 comments:

This incident made you think he was nuts. He may have been or he may not have been.

However, every day on the news or talking head program on cable I hear people accepted as sane, learned, experienced in the law, medicine, politics, etc., stating that "With God on our side.... yada yada yada." The arrogance of telling all us "regular" people that their goal is a better one because "God is on their side" states that God is not on anyone else's side but theirs.

I get sick of this. I am a believer in the teaching of Jesus Christ and am a Catholic, yet in voicing an opinion that is opposed to this kind of expert brings my religion, morals and political affiliation into disrepute!

I figure if your cause is a good cause you can figure it out and make a case for others agreeing without all the "God blessing" talk! Isn't that the ultimate straw man argument? SMILE

While many religious would (and should) condemn such thinking, I'm not surprised; when I was a churchie I noted that a good percentage of them have personalities prone to pretension and provincial thinking. Remember when the plane carrying the missionaries home from Africa crashed into the market on takeoff? Wiped out about 25 people, but the missionaries escaped safely from the wreckage? The fire wasn't even out before people were saying that they were "saved by the grace of God." But apparently, God wasn't so gracious on poor African pedestrians....

Many religious people make use of this "God works in mysterious ways" meme--it's used with individual lives or large scale tragedies. A few days after the Haiti quake disaster, Pat Robertson claimed that G*d was punishing Haiti for their own political history, and corruption, even the early French imperialists. Tidal wave, 200, 000 thousand+ dead--and most fundies say G*d paid 'em back. Same for STDs, etc (and ...actually it's common to judeo-xtian, and muslim traditions--even hindus, I believe--piss her off, and Shamsan Kali shakes her ass--and...tsunami-time). Same for like catholics headed out for some gambling. They hit it big in Vegass (or p-dale bingo for that matter), and it's...grazias a Dios! They leave a little more dinero on the plate as well.

Really, it's probably natural for some people--even skeptics and atheists--to rely on something like prayer in a crisis or emergency situations. Unfortunately, prayer doesn't work (and however cynical it sounds, the ineffectiveness of prayer another checkmark on the side of non-believers--not that that stops the preachers and priests, who would have their flocks praying 24-7 if they could).

People like this make me sick. My husband was diagnosed with cancer four months after we were married. Following bus man's logic my husband must of done something to piss off God, or been 'angry' at Him. Absolute nonsense! And a sicking line of thought. My husband and I are both believers but such a thought process never even occurred to us.

My husband is now doing well and in recovery. I hope your Mother in Law is feeling/doing much better.

Thanks Melissa and J. My mother-in-law is not doing so well after the surgery. The doctors have done everything they can and it does not look good for her. She is 83 years old and the surgery was risky anyway. I will miss her very much. She has lived a long and full life.

Hi Melissa.I'm glad your husband is doing so much better. I hope he live a full and long life and the cancer does not come back.

Anna Lemma

I am a former Air Force officer who is always interested in discussing politics, religion, and church-state separation. I view this blog as a place to vent about the effects of religion and politics.
You can email me at annalemma*at*gmail*.*com